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Help > Electronic
Submittals > Apply
for a Digital ID Certificate > How to
Backup Your Digital ID Certificate
How to Backup Your Digital ID Certificate
Your VeriSign digital ID certificate
is stored and accessible via the browser software on your PC. The NRC recommends
and supports use of the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser (versions 5 and
6), other web browsers may or many not be fully compatible with NRC electronic
systems. NRC's digital certificates can be exported from one PC and
imported into a different PC. Exporting a certificate does not delete the
existing copy but instead makes a duplicate/backup copy. Depending upon the
export and import options chosen you can either make a limited copy or a
fully functioning copy that can be duplicated. We recommend making at least
one full copy as your backup and storing it on a disk drive other than drive
C: where your working digital certificate is typically stored. We recommend
using the high security setting on your digital ID certificate. You are not
allowed to share a digital ID certificate or its password with anyone. Your
VeriSign digital ID certificate is installed into your browser.
Export
Your Certificate From the Internet Explorer Browser
- Open your web browser (Internet Explorer)
- Click on the "Tools" menu
option
- Click on the "Internet Options" menu option in the
Tools menu
- Select the "Content" tab and click on the "Certificates" button
- Select your certificate and click on the "Export" button
- In the Export Wizard screen, click on the "Next >" button
- Since "Yes, export the private key" is the default, click
on the "Next >" button
- In the Certificate Export File Format
screen select "Personal Information
Exchange and check the box "Include
all certificates in the certificate path if possible" and check
the box "Enable
strong protection (requires IE 5.0, NT 5.0 or above)".
Then click on the "Next >" button
- Type in
an export/import password twice and click on the "Next >" button.
- Enter the directory where the certificate is to be stored,
name the file, and click on the "Next >" button.
The file's extension
or "Save as Type" is Personal Information Exchange
(*.pfx).
- Click on the "Finish" button to complete
the Certificate Manager Export Wizard.
- Click on the "Set
Security Level" button
- Click on the "High" radio
button. This will activate password protection for your digital
id certificate. Click the "Next >" button
to continue.
- Enter the new password twice and then click
on the "Finish" button.
- Click on the "OK" button
this time since you have already set your certificate's
security level to high and created a password.
For detailed
certificate export instructions including screen shots
see Appendix D NRC's Digital IDs Guide .
Import Your Certificate to Another PC with the Windows
XP Operating System and Internet Explorer
- Open Internet Explore and choose the "Internet Options…" option
from the "Tools" pull menu.
- Select the "Content" tab
and click on the "Certificates" button.
- Select your certificate and click on the "Import…" button.
- Click on the "Next >" button
in the Import Wizard.
- Enter the directory where the certificate is
stored and click on the "Next >" button.
If browsing choose Files of type: "Personal Information
Exchange (*.pfx)"
- Check the "Enable strong private key protection" option.
- Check the "Mark the private key as exportable" option
- Enter
the export/import password created during the certificate export
process
- Click on the "Next >" button.
- Make sure
the "Place all certificates into the following store" with
Certificate Store: "Personal" is checked and
then click on the "Next >" button.
- Click on
the "Finish" button to exit the Import Wizard
- Click on the "Set Security Level" button (if
you get the "Creating
a new RSA exchange key" pop-up window).
- Click on the "High" radio
button. This will activate password protection for your digital
id certificate. Click the "Next >" button
to continue.
- Enter the new password twice and then click
on the "Finish" button.
- Click on the "OK" button
this time since you have already set your certificate's
security level to high and created a password.
For
detailed certificate import instructions including screen shots see Appendix
E NRC's Digital IDs Guide .
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